Joe’s going to line up some evidence for you.

First, Cadillac Williams told Joe exclusively in training camp that he wasn’t so sure the 2009 Bucs offense would be better than Chucky’s.

Second, Raheem The Dream told the Dallas media how Derrick Ward was selling the three-back rotation earlier this season. At that time, Joe speculated it was Cadillac who needed to be convinced, since Earnest Graham is the ultimate team guy and Ward was coming from a share-the-load system.

Today, Bucs icon John Lynch, the FOX color analyst for the Bucs-Panthers game, told viewers that he met with Cadillac and the tailback is “not liking” the running back rotation and feels like he “can’t get a rhythm.”

Joe loves Cadillac and respects him immensely, and he was pleased to see him today have his best game since opening day against Dallas. But Cadillac hasn’t been happy all season.

And it’s not like Antonio Bryant’s give-me-the-damn-ball unhappy. Cadillac just isn’t buying into the system and now he’s talking about it in broadcast briefing meetings.

The guy wants to carry the load when he hasn’t produced much and has a history of injury. Joe’s not sure where the Bucs running game goes from here.

Last week in Atlanta, when Josh Freeman played well, Greg Olson and Raheem The Dream took the ball out of his hands TWICE when he could have possibly won the game.

This week in Carolina, when Freeman wasn’t having his best game, Olson repeatedly dropped Freeman back to pass on first down.

Joe just can’t grasp why Olson is so averse to running the ball on first down, which would potentially help his young quarterback immensely.

Is it an ego thing? To Joe it’s overcoaching.

• 1st-and-goal during the first drive of the third quarter and Olson sends Freeman back to pass — interception in the end zone.
• 1st-and-10 on the Carolina 20 after a Panthers’ third-quarter turnover and the Bucs trailing 13-6  — Olson passes on the run, which was effective on the previous two drives, and Freeman throws another interception over the middle.

And these calls came after the Bucs’ running game seemed to be reviving. Cadillac Williams opened the Bucs’ first drive of the third quarter with a 19-yard run, and before the second interception Derrick Ward had broken off an 18-yarder on first down.

You can hang the Carolina loss on a lot of factors, but front and center for Joe is the unwillingness to run the ball on first down with a young QB who’s not at his best.

There is no excuse.

Olson put Freeman in spots he didn’t need to be in and clearly wasn’t ready to handle — at least on this day.

By Joe’s tally, coaching, not a lack of talent, has cost the Bucs wins in Miami, Atlanta and Carolina.

Joe is fond of Stylez G. White. Thinks he’s a great guy.

Must be a good teammate, too, as evidenced by a crazy suggestion he had after the Bucs loss to the Panthers while speaking on the Buccaneers Radio Network.

Ther’s no question interceptions weres to blame for the loss, specifically the interceptions thrown in the end zone.

White doesn’t see it that way. He claims the loss is on the defense.

“Turnovers? [Sigh]. Not much you can do about that,” White said. “We as a defense have to put our offense in a better position. There are no excuses for our defense. We have to get better.”

WHAT??!! Stylez, buddy, the defense only gave up 16 points, and only two field goals in the final three quarters. Joe’s not sure how much better defense you can play, especially when we are talking about a defense that, under the tutelage of defrocked defensive coordinator Jim Bates was one of the worst Joe has ever laid eyes on.

Joe appreciates Stylez falling on the sword, but man, there’s no need to go to ridiculous lengths in order to gain street cred in the locker room.

Here are the rest of White’s quotes:

“We didn’t make any adjustments [by the defense]. We weren’t tackling well. Once we started making tackles, we were OK. We came in with a good gameplan. Once we calmed down we were OK.

“We played good defense and it gave us a chance to win. When we make plays we have a chance to win. [Mistackles early in the game], that was on us.”

A subdued Raheem the Dream spoke after the game on the Buccaneers Radio Network and, frankly, honestly, refreshingly, didn’t mince words.

In particular, Raheem the Dream made a strange statement where he seems to suggest his players don’t want to win.

“We had a young man who played like a rookie in the red zone,” Raheem the Dream said of quarterback Josh Freeman, a rookie. “He didn’t make good decisions but he will bounce back.

“In the first quarter, they get the ball and they ran the ball due to mistackles. They were able to move the ball early. After that we started to settle down and make tackles. It wasn’t the same type of game after that.

“We’ve gotta make better plays. [Panthers linebacker Jon] Beason had a heck of a day. You have to make better decisions down there. We allowed [Beason] to have a good day.

“We made bad decisions in the red zone by the quarterback. We made bad plays on special teams with the missed field goals. We made mistackles early.

“These guys have to learn how to win and want to win.”

Bucs linebacker Geno Hayes, who had another good game in another loss today, had a few things to say after the game on the Bucs radio network.

“It was tough. We started off missing tackles but we calmed down and started making plays. The adjustments came from the sidelines. We knew we could do it. [The gameplan] was just what we are at One Buccaneer Place. That’s what we do: gang tackle.

“On the interception, it was [Tanard Jackson] that caught it and knocked it into the air so I could catch it.

[Panthers linebacker Jon] Beason came through for them. When you win the turnover battle, you usually win the game.”

Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman spoke on the Bucs radio network just after the game and didn’t duck any questions or responsibility.

“It was difficult, not getting touchdowns in the end zone. We have to find ways to throw touchdowns, not interceptions. We gave some (plays) away.

“I didn’t even see Beason (on the first-and-goal from the five interception). He was behind a d-lineman.

“The first interception was a bad throw. I had to throw it hard or it would have gone into the ground and it just sailed.

“[The last interception] I first looked for AB [Antonio Bryant] and then Kellen and then Stovall. Beason was basically tackling Kellen. Sammie wasn’t there. Thought Mo was coming across and I went to Mo but the defensive player also came across.

“I’ve got to give credit to the defense. We gave away so much it shouldn’t have been close. You always have hope when the defense plays that well.”

Panthers 16, Bucs 6

* Good. Maybe Olson has finally figured out running Caddy is the way to go.

* The watering hold Joe is at just erupted when the zebras threw the flag for interference when Sammie Stroughter was mugged.

* King of Turds with a nice catch. Good thing King of Turds is 6-7.

* Keep running!

* First and goal. Run!

* Hey, jackass Olson, if you are going to pass the ball down there, how about in the end zone, huh?

* Anyone have the cell phone number of Charlie Weis?

* It was just a matter of time before Steve Smith got lose. He absolutely blew by Elbert Mack. Roasted him.

* Joe has to give the Bucs defense credit by manning up and forcing the Panthers to a field goal after that huge catch by Smith.

* Kellen Winslow is coming up big in the clutch.

* Well, that’s six points Connor Barth left on the field. Combined with the interceptions, the Bucs have given this game away.

* Simply put, this loss in on Greg Olson.

* YOU PLAY TILL YOU HEAR THE WHISTLE!!! My God, that’s terrible. That’s the first thing a little kid learns in pee wee football. The Bucs could have run that fumble (incompletion?) in for a touchdown.

* That’s a horrible call. Freeman’s arm didn’t even get to his head. That’s a fumble. How is it Joe can see that in a bar and these zebras have their own TV to look at and can’t see it. There’s no way in hell there is “indisputable” evidence that was not a fumble. What the hell was being replayed, a peep show of the lesbian Panthers cheerleaders?

* Nice heads up play by Freeman to dump the pass off to Ward right before he got sacked. That’s the first time Joe can remember that Donald Penn got burned for a near sack. Everette Brown has some quicks.

* Kellen Winslow, Jr. is single-handedly keeping the Bucs in the game.

* Mo Stovall with another good catch.

* How appropriate? A fifth interception.

* Great run by Freeman but son, learn to slide, please.

* After watching Bryant make yet another great catch, Joe can’t help but think of that abject moron on WQYK-AM 1010 who has some two-bit Bucs pregame show who last week swore up and down that Bryant was the worst receiver in the NFL.

* Bucs are having good fortune with the replays today.

* First down on the five and you don’t try to run the ball? Pound the ball! Granted Bryant was open but the Jon Beason made a helluva play.

* About freaking time someone (Ronde Barber) stops Stewart. Joe’s to the point if they could trade a second round pick for him just so he doesn’t kill the Bucs any longer, it’s a good trade. Dude murders the Bucs.

* That’s it! Pound the ball!

* Dave Moore on the Bucs radio network just said when the Bucs have a two-back set, Carolina is not blitzing. When the Bucs are in the shotgun, they blitz each time.

* Huge, huge, huge play on the fumble recovery. Now please pound the ball Olson.

* G-DAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Greg Olson why are you not running the freaking ball? WHY???????????? That’s it! Joe’s had it with Olson. Enough is enough. Go hire that jackass Charlie Weis. Shove that Chucky playbook up your arse Olson. DAMNIT!

* Gene Deckerhoff nearly fell out of the booth on Tanard Jackson’s hit. He tried to say both “slobber” and “snot” at the same time but was so excited he said “snobber knocker.”

* Now run the g-damned ball Olson!!

* What’s with burning a timeout with one second left?

* Run Cadillac Williams… run Cadillac Williams… RUN CADILLAC WILLIAMS!

* Memo to Raheem the Dream: Now that you are the defensive coordinator, Joe hopes you watched closely the goal line stand by the Panthers. That is how you tackle.

* Well, three points is better than no points.

* Wow, this Moore has a gun. Joe’s glad he’s not that accurate. Guess there’s a reason he was a backup to Jake Delhomme.

* Ronde Barber whiffed so badly on Jonathan Stewart, Pat Burrell is
laughing.

* Tanard Jackson and Geno Hayes play volleyball with Hayes getting the pick!

* Is it just Joe’s massive hangover, or is this game dragging?

* That’s it: Get Antonio Bryant the ball!

* For a Boston College graduate, Jeremy Trueblood is sure a stupid SOB.

* Was that a screen pass Joe just saw the Bucs run?

* Damn, Kellen Winslow had a touchdown. But that was a helluva defensive play.

* King of Turds is mad. There are so many one-liners to use.

* Now THAT’S how to tackle! Way to go Geno!

* Better. Better tackling. That’s refreshing. Maybe Raheem the Dream chewed some asses?

* Very good pressure by Jimmy Wilkerson. Joe is very pleased with that defensive series.

* That’s it: Keep pounding the ball.

* Cadillac Williams nearly broke one but got a first down. Keep the running going Olson.

*Nice footwork by Freeman to keep the play alive and hit Bryant deep. Joe is pleased.

* Mo Stovall is having a nice day.

* Come on Josh, you should have tossed the ball away on that sack.

* Damn. Joe thought Freeman had Bryant for a touchdown.

* Joe is bummed that Connor Barth’s bank shot missed. However, Joe is bouyed to realize that every Bucs loss, the team gets closer to drafting Ndamukong Suh, who was an absolute beast last night against Texas.

* Nice, timely sack by Tim Crowder. Since the first quarter, the Bucs have played solid if not good defense.

* These dink and dunk passes aren’t going to get the job done here guys.

* Well, that’s a good start: Barrett Ruud drilling Jonathon Stewart at the line.

* Whoops. Typed too soon.

* It appears Elbert Mack is going to have a busy day.

* WRAP UP DAMNIT!

* Oh, boy. Now Elbert Mack is out and a glorified practice squad player is in: Derrick Roberson.

* When you have to count on a strong safety to tackle a running back at the line…

* Terrible first series thus far by the Bucs defense.

* Mo Stovall with a huge catch. (His numbers are very close to Michael Clayton’s FYI).

* Where exactly was Josh Freeman throwing that ball? Wow. Really bad interception.

* This is not looking good. Already.

* OUTRAGEOUS! Grade school football players have better tackling technique than the Bucs are showing. WRAP UP!!!

* Bucs got lucky. Steve Smith totally schooled Elbert Mack and was wide open for a touchdown but Matt Moore threw the ball into another zip code.

* Nice shovel pass by Freeman to avoid a sack. Smart.

* Finally a good defensive play. Solid defense there by Tarnard Jackson.

* The practice squad guy (Roberson) nearly with a pick. Of course Moore forced that pass.

* Very nice runback by Sammie Stroughter. It helps that there were a few mistackles, but hey…

* Damn. Antonio Byrant made a helluva catch/near-catch but the ball wasn’t exactly well-thrown. He was wide open.

* Nice run by Derrick Ward. Come on Greg Olson, run the friggin’ ball, will ya?

Week 12
Bucs at Panthers
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
TV:WTVT Ch. 13, DirecTV 707
Radio:  Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); Sirius Channel 158.
Weather:  If any Bucs fans will be in Carolina to tailgate, per AccuWeather.com, it will be rather chilly. Kickoff temperature is expected to be 48 under partly sunny skies. The weather may break 50 late in the game but no higher. Fortunately, there will be very light winds.
Odds: PerBodog.com, Panthers -6.
Outlook: The Bucs have a decent chance of winning this game. Backup Panthers quarterback Matt Moore and his habit of throwing interceptions will start. The fact Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib will not play concerns Joe but the Bucs should be OK. The critical element for the Bucs is stopping the run, something the Bucs have not been able to do the last couple of times they have faced the Panthers. In particular Jonathon Stewart has punished the Bucs. If the Bucs somehow stop the run, the defrocking of defensive coordinator Jim Bates will look even better than it does now. It would help if the Bucs can get a running back, any running back, to rush for 100 yards. The Bucs have gone 21 consecutive games without a running back running for 100 yards, the longest drought of any NFL team.
Fun facts: Cadillac Williams usually shines against the Panthers with five touchdowns in his last six games against Carolina. … Panthers receiver Steve Smith has at least 100 yards receiving in six of his last nine games against the Bucs. … Whatever happened to the two lesbian Panthers cheerleaders who got caught “getting busy” in a stall of a Channelside hotspot?

Jason Horowitz and Pat Kirwan of CBSSports.com preview the Bucs-Panthers in this video. Joe normally doesn’t link to video without embed codes unless it is important or high quality.

This video,

 Joe is confident Bucs fans will want to see. Click on the hyperlink above, scroll down and wait a moment for the video to load (it takes a little bit). CBSSports.com doesn’t upload all their videos to YouTube.com and does not provide embed codes from its own site any longer.

That’s a drag for Joe.

Joe brings you his weekly look at what members of the national media rank the Bucs.

Mike Sando of BSPN.com believes the Bucs can be better. He has the Bucs ranked No. 30.

The pressure’s on Raheem Morris to improve late-game decision-making.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com isn’t as kind with the Bucs ranked No. 31.

Who will Raheem Morris fire this week? Is it another loss, another firing? It’s time the blame goes to the man at the top.

Adrian Hasenmayer is in the same boat as Prisco with the Bucs ranked No. 31.

Rookie QB Josh Freeman came very close last week to evening his record to 2-2 as a starter before his Bucs couldn’t stop the Falcons in the final seconds. Poor Raheem Morris could have come off looking a little smarter for firing his defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator just 10 games into his first season as captain of the ship

Josh Alper of Fanhouse.com also believes the Bucs are the second-worst team in the league at No. 31.

The defensive performance against the Falcons made it clear that Raheem Morris wasn’t totally nuts when he stripped defensive coordinator Jim Bates of his duties. Josh Freeman’s nearly mistake-free performance showed he wasn’t totally nuts to hand the offense to a rookie. A 10th loss in 11 games proves that sanity doesn’t always equal success.

Unconfirmed reports reveal this to be a photo of former Buccaneer wide receiver Dexter Jackson watching a punt coming his way durind the 2008 season.

Jeff Faine thinks one of the problems with today’s NFL is players aren’t given enough time to develop before hard decisions are made about their future.

Faine talked about this trend on 1010 AM on Friday evening and used himself as an example. He said he wasn’t much of a player when he entered the NFL as a first round draft pick of the Browns in 2003. 

Then Faine went on to give a specific example of a team giving up on a player perhaps far too soon. He picked former Bucs wide receiver/returner Dexter Jackson, the collosal bust of the 2008 draft.

Faine had a little stress in his voice when he mentioned Jackson, as if not to come off as fingering the Bucs for making a mistake. 

“Maybe an ill-advised pick. Who knows? Maybe he wouldn’t have done anything. I don’t know if he had the opportunity,” Faine said. “There’s a growing tendency in the league to make quick changes. …Stick by the players a little.”

Joe is surely not going to condemn Mark Dominik and Raheem The Dream for cutting Dexter Jackson. Sure seemed like the correct move, and the fact he’s wallowing on the Panthers practice squad right now says a lot.

As for teams not giving players time to develop, Joe’s not buying that. If you’ve got ability, there’s always another team willing to take a look, and a whole big league in Canada that is scouted thoroughly.

Faine also went on to passionately identify what he believes is a winning combination the current Bucs have yet to master, “spending the money to get some players. ….a good mix of developing players and veterans who can make plays.”

In this BSPN video, Vacation Man seems to suggest that Bucs wide receiver Antonio Bryant is becoming a cancer in the Bucs locker room. Vacation Man also ponders what will be of Bryant’s future with the Bucs.

Everyone at One Buc Palace seems to be all smiles since Jim Bates was defrocked.

Speaking yesterday on Sirius NFL Radio, Derrick Brooks was asked about the Bucs’ rush defense and why it’s been more sorry than good this season.

In short, he applauded Raheem the Dream for taking over the defense.

Brooks explained the Bucs problems stopping the run come down to personnel.

“The Bucs went back to a single-gap scheme and got back to a system they were familiar with and comfortable with and it showed,” Brooks said.

“I was watching the non-verbal actions [of the defense] and clearly they were more comfortable under the system that Raheem came up through, Monte Kiffin’s scheme and not what Jim Bates tried.

“To be fair, Bates didn’t have the personnel that fit his system.”

Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com, who was co-hosting with Brooks, went a step further and called out the Bucs’ front office.

“Oh, there was no maybe about it,” Marvez said. “It was an absolute disaster by the Bucs front office in not getting the proper personnel for Jim Bates.”

There was no one — save for possibly Warren Sapp — that bemoaned the Bucs hiring of now defrocked defensive coordinator Jim Bates more than Pat Kirwan.

In his columns on NFL.com, his videos on CBSSports.com, and his weekday PM drivetime radio show on Sirius NFL Radio, Kirwan rarely passed on a chance to describe what a bad mix Bates was for the Bucs.

But as much as Kirwan — as it turned out, correctly — hated on Jim Bates, Kirwan is in the tank for Bucs rookie Josh Freeman.

In a recent column he typed for NFL.com, Kirwan raves about Freeman.

Believin’ in Freeman
After watching all of the coaches’ tapes of Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Josh Freeman, I am a big fan. If I were a Bucs fan, I would be excited about the future. Freeman has a long way to go but the arm strength, the mobility, poise and leadership are in place and ready to be developed. I think it really takes off this weekend with a tough road game in Carolina. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him build on his 250-yard, two-touchdown effort in a near-victory over Atlanta last week.

Joe has stated earlier this week that one of the few things Joe has to look forward to in watching the Bucs play eash week in this dreadful season, is to see how Freeman improves.

The archbishop of NFL Draft coverage is Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski, of 620 WDAE-AM. The guy is just hands down one of the best draft analysts in the country, let alone the unquestioned draft king in the Bay area.

It’s not even winter yet, and Pawlowski has begun his long annual process of studying the draft like no other.

Today, he’s churned out 10 players the Bucs should be eyeing carefully as they prepare for what’s sure to be a top-10 pick. Click on The Blitz graphic and enjoy.

**Don’t forget to tune into The Blitz today at noon on 620 WDAE-AM. Pawlowski hosts live from Gators Cafe and Saloon on Treasure Island.

When it’s December and a one-win team is playing a four-win team, there’s not a lot to play for beyond pride, fans, contract incentives and a future deal.

In the case of Sunday’s Bucs-Panthers game, there’s another thing to play for: payback.

For those who thought the Bucs would try to forget about the illegal, vicious hit Panthers sleaze cornerback Dante Wesley leveled on Clifton Smith in October, center Jeff Faine put that to rest on his radio show on 1010 AM this evening.

Faine explained that the Bucs coaching staff made an effort to open the wound that never healed.

“We replayed that hit on Clifton Smith this morning, so it is definitely nice and warm,” Faine said.

Joe finds it comical that Wesley actually told The Herald out of Rock Hill, S.C., that he didn’t think the Bucs would look for him on the field on Sunday because the hit wasn’t intentional.

Wesley shrugged when asked if he was worried about that, hoping his reputation and the communication he has had with Smith will carry the day.

“I don’t think it should be a factor in this game,” he said. “I’m sure when they looked at the tape, they realize it wasn’t anything I tried to do intentionally. There shouldn’t be anything during the game because of that play.”

For those who missed the hit on Smith, here it is below. …Joe’s quite certain the Bucs saw this again and concluded what any objective observer would; it’s a dirty play and very intentional.